Halfway to Hundred
by DarthAnimus
Summary: Twenty five pairs of opposites makes fifty themes. Fifty oneshots about the FMA cast, mostly Ed and Roy though. Some oneshots are going to be containing various levels of yaoi, RoyEd the most common pairing.
1. 1:1 Rain

Theme: Rain

Title: Under the Rain Clouds

Pairings: Maybe slight Roy/Ed, depends on how you look at it.

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Sometimes it's the small things that matter.

**Under the Rain Clouds**

Edward glanced upwards to the dark clouds that continued to pour their contents down over the city. The cover provided on the front steps of the head quarters kept the water from reaching the pint-sized alchemist but the cold air still caused him to shiver despite the heavy cloak he was wearing. His breath came out as small puffs of steam that disappeared quickly into the cold weather. Ed hoped that the rain would at least calm down somewhat so he could make his way to the quarters he shared with his brother. Al had stayed behind when Ed had gone to deliver Mustang his report of yet another failure mission. Sure, he had saved the town from a flood, but he had not found a single lead on the Philosopher's Stone.

A heavy sigh escaped from between Ed's lips. It was already late and the rain was still coming pouring down. He would probably have to run back and hope he did not get too wet. Al was most likely worried sick already since Ed was taking so long. The young alchemist was tired and wanted nothing more than to get home for something warm to drink. He was actually missing the sad excuse of an apartment, wishing more than anything that he would already be buried underneath the covers of his bed.

Footsteps neared Ed from behind him and blond quickly whirled around, not about to be caught off-guard. The blond came face to face with the one man he was not expecting to see at the moment. Especially since it was so wet outside.

"Colonel", Ed greeted the man in an unkind tone. He was in no mood to deal with the raven-haired man's sarcasm and biting remarks. "Don't you have work to do? You were fairly busy when I visited in your office."

"Yes", was all Mustang said, his tone as cold as the air around them. Then the man lifted something in his right hand, offering the object to Ed. Ed glanced down at the black item. It was an umbrella. Ed stared at the object and then turned his bewildered eyes to Mustang. The man sighed in slight aggravation and shoved the umbrella to Ed's chest as he grumbled: "Just take it. Riza is going to have my hide if I don't get back to work soon."

Not even realizing he did it Ed reached up and grabbed the umbrella. Mustang let go of the item and stepped back. He was not meeting Ed's gaze as he turned around and walked back inside, leaving Ed to stare after him in wonder.

As soon as Ed snapped out of his little trance he glanced down at the umbrella in his hand. How had the Colonel known that he was standing there? Shaking his head Ed decided it did not matter. Opening the umbrella Ed stepped underneath the rain and started to make his way towards his and Al's apartment. Suddenly the evening did not feel cold at all.

_**Owari**_


	2. 1:2 Sun

Theme: Sun

Title: In a Small Sterile Room

Pairings: slight Roy/Ed

Rating: K

Warnings: slight shounen-ai

Summary: In a small hospital room, by Edward Elric's bed, Roy Mustang waits.

**In a Small Sterile Room**

It had been an exhausting day. A rogue state alchemist had been wreaking havoc round the city, so naturally Roy had sent Edward to handle the situation. Of course the man had known that it would be a difficult task for the teen but he still had not expected it to end as messily as it had. The man had been a far more difficult opponent than Roy had assumed and as a result the older Elric had nearly lost his remaining limbs.

Of course Ed engaged the alchemist in a battle, even though Roy had told him to merely find out the man's location. But then again, Roy should have known that Ed would not follow his orders, he should have known the boy better. And maybe he did know Edward better than that. he had, after all, went after the boy as soon as word of the fight had reached his ears. He had made it just in time to stop the madman from killing the Fullmetal alchemist.

Roy did not even want to think about the bureaucratic mess he was going to face for his actions. The fact that he had pretty much blown up a person, even if it was a criminal, was not going to be ignored by the higher ups. Even if they would be pleased with his actions, which they most likely were, Roy would have to go through a lot, even if it was only for show. The hypocritical military wanted to appear forgiving to the general population even if everyone had already seen through all the propaganda.

As Roy watched the steadily breathing form of Fullmetal, lying on the bed in the quiet hospital room, the man decided that it had been worth it and that he would not hesitate to do it again. It was not often than Edward Elric needed assistance but whenever he did, Roy decided, he would be more than happy to provide it.

Roy crossed his leg over his other one in an attempt to get more comfortable in the hard chair he was sitting in. The Colonel would not let the chair bother him, though. Ed had gone through a lot more that day so the raven-haired man felt like he had absolutely nothing to complain about. When he had picked Ed's body up from the ground the boy's eyes had been slightly open but he had not responded to Roy at all. For a moment he had thought he had come too late. But then he had noticed that the boy was still breathing and he had felt Ed's heartbeat through his gloves.

When the form on the bed suddenly moved Roy jumped up from his chair and leaned over the boy. Slowly but surely Edward's eyes opened, their gaze immediately focusing on Roy.

"Edward", Roy breathed out, relieved. The boy was alright.

"Colo...nel..." Ed spoke weakly, recognizing the man as his superior officer. Further relief washed over Roy as he brushed a few strands of golden hair away from the eyes that were temporarily dyed hazel from sleep. Forcing his voice to stay calm Roy spoke again: "I'm sorry."

The response Ed gave the man surprised Roy more than anything the boy had done before. Ed smiled at him, a wide and bright smile which seemed to be truly happy. Roy could not stop his own lips from twitching in response because suddenly he felt like the Sun had risen in that small hospital room, even if in the rest of the city it was still midnight.

_**Owari**_


	3. 2:1 Enemies

Theme: Enemies

Title: Definition of a Word

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Depending on the situation, Ed thinks about a word in different ways. Everyone has their own point of view on a topic.

**Definition of a Word**

"How would you define the word 'enemy', Fullmetal?" Mustang spoke suddenly, laying the report in his hands down on his desk. Ed blinked at the man once, confused, before asking: "Why do you ask?"

Mustang shrugged his shoulders. He leaned back in his chair as he replied: "Just curious, I guess."

"Well..." Ed mumbled, scratching the back of his head. It really was not such an odd question as one would at first think. It was actually a very logical one, considering the kind of life the two lead. "I think an enemy is someone who tries to keep me from reaching my goal." The blond glanced at the Colonel's face for any kind of reaction but the older man simply nodded his head in acknowledgement before picking up the report on his desk. Then he proceeded to go through the details it contained, like on any other meeting.

&&&&&&&

"I don't understand it, 'niisan", Al said as he picked up a card from on top of the suitcase they were using as a surface to play cards on. Ed glanced up at his brother briefly before questioning: "What is it that you don't understand, Al?"

"How do we know a person is our enemy?" Al asked carefully. "Some of the people we fight are really good people. They simply do things in a way that others don't accept."

Ed frowned slightly in thought before drawling: "Is this about Psiren again?"

"No", Al said sternly and Ed was certain the suit of armor was trying to glare at him. "I'm just thinking about the things we've come across in general."

"Okay then..." Ed muttered as he picked up a new card for himself. "I say that people are our enemies when they attempt to kill us. It's as simple as that."

"Oh..." Al trailed off. The two continued their game in silence after that.

&&&&&&&

"Why do you try to make things difficult for me, Chibi-chan?" Envy whined from his spot on top of a rooftop. Ed was trying to figure out a way to get to the homunculus while he spoke: "Because you are my enemy, you deformed freak of nature."

Envy looked hurt but Ed knew that it was nothing but a mockery. Then the sin flashed a bright grin right afterwards and said: "Well, in that aspect our feelings are mutual."

"You don't feel", Ed snapped at his opponent. "You don't have a soul."

Envy let out an enraged scream before jumping down from his safe spot and the two of them fought.

&&&&&&&

"Your definition for an enemy is awfully one-sided, Fullmetal", Mustang said in a conversative manner. The suddenly spoken words still managed to get Ed to jump on his place sitting on a couch, though. Ed briefly wondered how the Colonel could remember something so trivial from a conversation they had had a long time ago.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked out loud. "I think I was being pretty specific."

"But Edward..." Mustang said then, surprising Ed with the use of his given name. "Sometimes it might be a friend who's trying to stop you from reaching your goal."

"Then they aren't being very good friends", Ed decided.

"I think they are", Mustang insisted firmly. "If they're doing it to protect you."

For once Ed did not have an argument to throw back at the men, He was, after all, exactly right.

"Colonel Bastard", Ed spoke then. Mustang lifted an eyebrow at him as drawled: "Yes, Fullmetal shorty?"

"If you ever do something stupid, I'll be there to stop you."

At first Mustang blinked in surprise. But then the man smiled, actually smiled, and said: "Likewise, Fullmetal, likewise."

_**Owari**_


	4. 2:2 Friends

Theme: Friends

Title: A Study on Friendship

Pairings: maybe slight Roy/Ed

Rating: K+

Warnings: slight shounen-ai

Summary: When there is something Ed doesn't understand, he studies it.

**A Study on Friendship**

When Ed first started to ponder on the meaning of friendship, he started to draw conclusions with the one method he had used to study everything else; he consulted books. There was a small flaw in that plan, though. The thing was that there really was no way to read on the subject since friendship seemed to be a difficult concept to grasp by multiple writers. But that would not stop Ed from trying to understand it. He was not called a child prodigy for nothing.

The first thing Ed needed was research subjects. And fortunately there was no shortage of those in the military base. Ed could observe his coworkers without anyone noticing it. All he had to do was make sure he had an issue to bring up with the Colonel if anyone happened to ask him why he was loitering around.

It took Edward two weeks to gether enough research results to deduct anything on the subject of friendship. He had eyed quite the few people and had found a pattern in each of their attitudes that leaned towards friendly behaviour.

Hawkeye shot her gun at everyone in the headquarters but Ed had noticed a slip. Hawkeye had one person who she shot at less than the others, when everyone else's behaviour quota was taken into account. And that person was not even a person at all. Yup, Hawkeye's best friend was Black Hayate.

Armstrong sparkled at anyone who stayed still long enough but Ed had managed to make a chart on the amount of glitter the man poured on different people on a regular basis. It had nearly cost Ed his eyesight but science called for sacrifices.

The results of Ed's observation were as following: Armstrong sparkled more when he was happy and almost every week the person Armstrong sparkled at was different from the previous one. Ed suspected that the general tolerance rate directed at the mountain of a man was a week at most.

Ed studied three people in total, the last object of his studies being no other than Colonel Mustang. Mustang was sarcastic and biting towards everyone, except for Hawkeye. But since Hawkeye was Hawkeye Ed doubted it had anything to do with friendship.

Still, there was one person Mustang reacted to differently than others. One Lieutenant Colonel Hughes seemed to be the only one able to spark Mustang into a destructive fit of rage. This animosity made Ed wonder why Hughes bothered to come see the Colonel when he always ended up with almost burned coat tails.

Once Ed asked the man about it he had simply smiled that crooked smile of his and said that Mustang would be lonely if he did not do it.

All in all, when looking through his results, Ed came to the conclusion that two out of three people had only one true friend. Ed concluded that a person could not have more than one friend at a time. At that point Ed decided that friendship really was not worth the effort he was putting into understanding it. And so Ed forgot about his project all together.

The next time Ed even thought about his fiasco in trying to study friendship was months afterwards, when he was passing through the cemetary. It was his first time in Central with time to spare in a long while so he had decided to pay his regards to Hughes. He had, after all, missed his funeral.

But Ed was not the only one there. He unexpectedly ran into another person at the same grave he was going to visit. He was startled at first to see the man out of uniform but realized that it was rather childish of him to expect the man to always wear the attention-drawing uniform he usually saw him in.

At first Ed did not know what to do. He was actually considering turning around and walking away when the man shifted. He lifted his hand to his face and Ed bit back a gasp; was he wiping away tears?

No one should be alone when they were suffering. Ed knew this because he had often found himself alone during his moments of weakness. He walked closer to the man and spoke softly: "Colonel..."

Mustang's wholw frame stiffened at Ed's voice and the blond reached out to grab the arms closest to him. He gave it a gentle squeeze, to show he meant no harm. Surprisingly the taller alchemist seemed to relax slightly as he greeted: "Fullmetal." It was almost a whisper, that was how quietly the man was speaking. Ed was ready to think it was to keep his voice from cracking.

That was when Ed remembered how he had questioned Hughes about his insistance on seeking out the Colonel's company. Hughes had said that the man would be lonely... Was that the reason for Mustang being here? Because he was just that lonely with the other gone?

"I understand", Ed said quietly as he watched the cold piece of stone before him and the Colonel. It was all he could say.

"Do you?" Mustang started suddenly, his voice a lot stronger than before. "Do you support me?"

Even though the question sounded strange to Ed he did not comment on it. Instead he simply answered it: "One hundred percent."

At Ed's words Mustang finally turned to look at the younger alchemist. The tearstreaks he had not managed to wipe away glistened in the sun, giving Ed the impression of liquid crystal. But the rare sight of tears did not hold Ed's attention for long, since the blond alchemist was a lot more willing to give his attention to the smile his commander's face was adorned by.

_**Owari**_


	5. 3:1 Adults

Theme: Adults

Title: Adult World

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Why is it that the only way for Maes to get a truthful answer from Roy is if the other man is steamed to the gills?

**Adult World**

As Roy picked up yet another glass he noticed his companion staring at himself intently. With a sigh he placed his number god-knows-which glass on the counter and turned his head to regard his friend with a glare that would have been much more effective five or so glasses ago.

"Maes..." Roy half-drawled, half-slurred. "What is it?"

"Why is your hair like that?" Maes asked as he reached out and ruffled the raven locks. "I mean, it's so messy that no one notices if it gets ruffled." The amber-eyed man frowned. "Or is that the whole point?"

"Does there have to be a reason for a person to wear their hair in a specific way?" Roy countered, managing to be snappy even in his drunken state. It was not such an incredible accomplishment when one considers the fact that Roy Mustang lives to be snappy.

"Not really", Maes said as he pulled on a few locks that were hanging in front of Roy's forehead. "Just wondering if you had a reason for it. You always seem to have one for everything."

A sigh escaped from Roy's lips before he grabbed his glass and downed it in a single swallow. Then he focused his gaze on his friend and said simply: "The ladies like it this way:"

Maes finally let go of Roy's hair in favor of combing his hand through his own as he spoke: "Why do you care about what they think when you don't even care about them as people?"

Roy was silent for a while after that. The bartender had enough time to refill their glasses twice before the raven-haired man uttered quietly but in a surprisingly sober manner: "That's the way the world operates." He downed his glass yet again. "It doesn't matter what we care about but what the people around us care about. It's a way to avoid trouble."

Maes frowned at his empty glass, clearly hoping for one more refill. With a solemn sigh he looked at Roy and muttered: "The world's stupid."

Roy lifted his once again full glass in a silent toast before saying in a falsely sweet manner: "Welcome to the adult world." The he swallowed the contents of his glass in one swift motion.

_**Owari**_


	6. 3:2 Children

Theme: Children

Title: Promises of a Past Life

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: May not fit in the original storyline

Summary: Who is to say that Roy Mustang doesn't keep his promises?

**Promises of a Past Life**

"Say, Roy..." Hohenheim started suddenly, bringing his student's attention to himself. The black-haired boy's obsidian eyes locked with his own golden ones as the ten-year-old waited for the adult to continue. Roy had always been an attentive student, listening to Hohenheim's every word intently and clinging to the things he taught like they were lifelines and, in a way, they were. Roy's mother tried to keep out of her husband's way as Roy's father attempted to mould the boy into another version of himself. Hohenheim had met the boy while he had been practising arrays in a secluded spot in the forest the man had been travelling through. He had stayed in the town for a longer time than he had intended because of that incident. The boy was talented but lacked any kind of guidance, since his father was strongly against the boy learning alchemy. But with every lesson Hohenheim gave him Roy became bolder in his studies, learning things that not even some adults could grasp. It filled Hohenheim with both pride and sadness as Roy became more and more skilled during the months he spent in the town teaching him.

"Yes, Hohenheim-sir?" Roy's tender voice spoke suddenly, bringing the man out of his musings. He had apparently zoned off and it took him a moment to remember what he had been about to say before he had started to reminiscence.

"Ah!" Hohenheim exclaimed with a smile when he finally remembered: "Roy, would you like to play with my son?"

The boy looked at him with an incredulous look before muttering: "You said you didn't have a family..."

"I don't, yet", Hohenheim said with new decision in his mind. "But I've decided that I want one. And I'm going to have a son. A smart one so he's going to need a smart playmate." The blond glanced down at the pale boy in front of him. Roy looked doubtful. It was no wonder, considering how all the other children in the town thought him to be strange. Roy had told Hohenheim all about that, as well as about his family. Finally Roy nodded and looked at Hohenheim with a hopeful look as he said: "...I think I would like to play with your son, Hohenheim sir. If he really is that smart."

Hohenheim only smiled at the response as he said: "He'll be smart. You'll see."

_19 years later..._

"Shut up" Ed yelled at Roy across the desk before whirling around and storming out of the office. Roy simply smiled at the boy's retreating form. Not even the slamming of the door changed the almost delighted look on the Colonel's face. Riza only sighed before dropping a yet another pile of paper work on her commanding officer's desk.

"Why are you always so hard on the boy?" she asked the man and then added, almost remorsefully: "He always leaves the office in such a fit of anger."

Roy simply shrugged his shoulders before saying pleasantly: "He's just a sore loser."

Riza raised a sceptical eyebrow at superior's words as she questioned: "A sore loser, sir?"

"Sure", the man said with a pleased nod. "We're playing a game and I'm leading."

"...Of course, sir..." Riza muttered before walking back to her own desk. The one thought that went through her head was: 'I wish the Colonel wouldn't be such a child...'

Unaware of his aide's thoughts Roy simply snickered to himself as he picked up a folder and started flipping through it.

_**Owari**_


	7. 4:1 Love

Theme: Love

Title: Families Not Tied By Blood

Pairings: none

Rating: T

Warnings: Ed is a potty mouth

Summary: Roy contemplates on a matter, and Maes sheds light on the situation.

**Families Not Tied By Blood**

"AARGH!!!" Ed raged as he got up from the couch in Mustang's office. "Whatever I do you always manage to find something wrong with it!" Ed gave the Colonel's desk a harsh kick, accidentally using his flesh foot. Gritting his teeth against the pain Ed still managed to finish: "Screw this! Or better yet: screw you!" And with that the blond alchemist stormed out of the office.

With a sigh Roy leaned back in his chair, lifting his feet on top of his desk. As soon as he heard footsteps approach his office he threw them back down on the floor, though. It would not do for Hawkeye to catch him slacking off.

"Hey Roy!" Maes greeted as he poked his head through the doorway. "What are you doing?"

"Avoiding work", Roy mumbled truthfully as he lifted his feet up again. "Being a jerk to Fullmetal. You know, the usual."

"I don't get it", Maes said as he strolled over to Roy's desk. "Why do you keep tormenting the kid? He tries so hard to please you. Certainly there are times when you are actually appreciative of his efforts."

"I always appreciate his hard work", Roy confessed suddenly. "I just don't want him to know that." Maes looked like he was about to say something but Roy beat him to it. He was on a roll now. "I worry constantly when he's away doing who knows what but I can't say it to his face. I'm proud of him for getting so far but I don't know why. I don't want him to find out that he might actually be the one weakness I have."

Silence followed then. Roy simply glared at his desk and Maes stared out the window positioned behind his friend.. Finally Maes managed to speak: "It's not wrong to love a child, even if he isn't your own." He smiled at his friend's dark head. "I'm fond of the little guy too."

"I...I know", Roy whispered quietly. "But I still don't think I should. We'll just both end up getting hurt."

"Hurt?" Maes repeated softly. "Isn't it a lot more painful to be alone, without anyone to call your own?" Roy glanced up to meet his friend's golden green gaze. "You're not much of a companion, Roy. I've known you long enough to see that." Maes gave the raven-haired man a smile that was close to a smirk. "But I think you would make a good father."

"You're insane", Roy muttered as he leaned back in his chair. He turned his gaze back to Maes when the taller man started to speak: "You know what, Roy? Even though I enjoy annoying you to no end, I like you even more when you smile."

"And that makes sense, how?" Roy questioned with a lifted eyebrow. Maes only shrugged a shoulder and flashed a brilliant grin as he spoke: "It doesn't have to. It has all to do with being a family."

The next time Edward came in to bring a report Roy noticed the blond's odd mood immediately. The boy seemed exhausted, handing Roy his report without a single word. Taking a small breath Roy reached forward and grabbed Ed's wrist.

"Are you alright?" It was not often that Colonel Roy Mustang asked that question from anyone and it caught the Fullmetal Alchemist completely off-guard. Before the boy himself realized that he was speaking he had already replied: "No. I'm tired and hungry and I need a break."

Roy smiled at the boy's bluntness and spoke: "I don't think that too unreasonable, Fullmetal. You've been working really hard lately."

Ed stared at Roy incredulously for a while before speaking: "Are you kidding me?"

"No, Edward", Roy spoke in a completely even tone. "For once I'm being perfectly serious with you." Roy moved the grip he had on the blond's wrist to his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You've really made me proud, Edward."

A soft blush colored Ed's cheeks and the blond gave the older alchemist a radiant smile before uttering faintly: "Thank you."

_**Owari**_


	8. 4:2 Hate

Theme: Hate

Title: A Family Matter Personalised

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Maes is really far too smart for his own good.

**A Family Matter Personalised**

"So..." Maes started as he watched Roy down a glass after glass. The glasses contained quite possibly the foulest drink the bar had to offer but it was also the strongest so of course Roy had wanted it. Normally he would not have touched the stuff but there had been something wrong with the man since that morning. Roy slammed the glass on the table and turned his slightly alcohol fume-reddened gaze to his friend.

"'So' what?" the raven-haired man grumbled surprisingly coherently.

"What's got you so down?" Maes asked as he tilted his head to the side. He would not dare to drink himself into even a slight stupor if his friend was going to go the blood poisoning route tonight.

Roy watched Maes for the longest time before uttering: "I don't think I'm drunk enough to discuss this." And then he proceeded to lift a yet another glass to his lips. Maes' hand on the glass stopped him from drinking any more, though. Roy eyed his friend in a questioning manner.

"Nonsense", Maes said simply and took a swig of his own drink. "Now spill the beans."

Roy stared emotionlessly in front of him as he spoke a single sentence: "My mother called me today."

Maes nodded. He knew the story. He had heard it on another night when Roy had attempted to drink himself to his grave. Somehow overly exaggerated alcohol consumption was always connectable to Roy's parents in one way or another.

"What did she say?" Maes asked, both because it was his job as a best friend and because he wanted to help in some way. Even if the only way he could help was by listening to tales about the nightmare his friend was forced to call family.

"Nothing really", Roy said with a shrug. He looked longingly at his drink but spoke again: "We were simply trading stories and I just realized something when talking to her." Maes lifted an eyebrow but Roy did not see it with his gaze focused on his drink. "I hate her."

Maes sputtered, even though he did not have any drink in his mouth. When he managed to get his breathing under control again he repeated: "You... hate her?"

Roy nodded and finally took a swig off his glass. Rotating his drink slightly he started to speak: "I hate myself and I hate my parents for having a hand in me becoming the person I am today." Roy ran a hand through his hair as he groaned in frustration. "I mean, with my mom having my uncle as her lover and my dad sleeping around the town how am I not supposed to be influenced by that?" He shook his head, his raven locks swinging slightly. "It's no wonder I can't stay with a woman."

"Roy..." Maes started softly, reaching out to grab his friend's shoulder. "How can you even hope to love someone else when you can't even love yourself?"

The raven-haired man let out a snort that broke off awkwardly, cut off by a small sob. Roy looked at Maes again, his bloodshot eyes shimmering with unshed tears by now.

"What is love, I wonder?" Roy said quietly. Then he drank the rest of his drink and attempted to stand up. He only ended up loosing his balance and falling into Maes' waiting arms. The taller man fixed his friend's position in his arms before picking him up bridal style. Strangely Maes was reminded of a child because of the state the friend in question was in.

"Damn it, Roy", Maes muttered as he started walking out of the bar. "You weight barely anything. Why don't you take care of yourself?"

He never got a complete answer but he did understand the meaning behind the one single word Roy uttered half-consciously against his shoulder.

_"Hate..."_

_**Owari**_


	9. 5:1 Crazy

Theme: Crazy

Title: Beyond My Reach

Pairings: perhaps some slight Roy x Maes, if you want to see it that way

Rating: T

Warnings: character death, mentions of self mutilation

Summary: Is there really a difference between obsession and insanity?

**Beyond My Reach**

A small droplet of water hit the floor with a barely audible plop, soon followed by another. Small beads of sweat ran down Roy Mustang's face, the man not bothering to wipe them away even as they continued to drip off his chin and onto the floor he was drawing on in a feverish manner.

The man even felt and looked like he had a high fever; his cheeks and neck were flushed and he was panting heavily, his entire body feeling too hot. He felt like he was burning inside, burning like the fire in the fireplace that was giving him the light he needed to finish his work.

He had not put on any electric lights. He felt more comfortable in the orange-tinted light of the flames. His middle and forefinger ran across the floorboards, leaving behind a dark trail that appeared to glisten a shade that was a mix of brown and red. Every now and then he would dip his fingers into a bowl that rested on the floor next to him and then proceed drawing the array he had been working on for some time now. He had lost grasp of time in the darkness that shadowed both his face and the world outside.

The flames in the fireplace crackled and burned brighter for a brief moment, chasing the shadows in the room away for a short while. The flames lit up the arrays drawn all over the room. The walls were decorated with transmutation circles painted in brown. The array on the floor was still mostly wet and it, along with the tips of Roy's fingers, got lit in their dark shade of crimson that was almost black.

Then the flames quieted down into the gentle ember from before and the shadows in the room grew back to cover most of the walls and floor, appearing darker than before after the light from only moments ago.

A small sigh came from Roy's moist lips as he sat up to inspect his handiwork. It was finally complete, he thought as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the palms stained with the slick paint he had been using on all the arrays in the room. His pantlegs had also been dirtied while he had been almost crawling on the floor to create the perfect transmutation circle. Only his shirt was completely stainless, his feet and face also having smudges on them. He had rolled his sleeves up before starting on his circles, revealing his pale arms outside of bathroom for the first time in months. The reason for such secrecy were the bandages and the thin, straight scars covering his wrists and forearms. Such perfectly neat scars could not have been gained through battle or from an enemy hand.

Roy smiled then. He had not been able to find a single flaw in the array. Finally he would be able to use it, finally he would gat back the one person that made it all worthwhile. He knelt down next to the array and positioned his hands abowe the outer circle. Even if it would not work Roy knew his suffering would be over. Live or die, he would finally be able to see that person again.

Carefully Roy brought his hands down on the line he had finished drawing only moments ago. When the whole room seemed to crackle with red lightning Roy finally allowed his tears to fall. His efforts for another's body, his blood for another's life, his flesh for another's soul. And his tears were for the sin he had committed.

Suddenly it was cold. Roy's whole body had gone freezing cold. He did not even have a chance to realize he had failed when his body fell on the floor, on the array of blood. There was no movement of his body as he lied with his eyes still open. There were no wounds on his body but still his lungs refused to breath, his eyes refused to see and his heart refused to beat.

_I'm sorry...Maes._

_**Owari**_


	10. 5:2 Sane

Theme: Sane

Title: Inside My Head

Pairings: none

Rating: T

Warnings: insanity, difficult-to-follow text, cursing

Summary: Crazy people are the ones who are called sane in a crazy world.

**Inside My Head**

Roy glanced up from his paperwork when there was a yet another pile of papers dropped on his desk. No more. He looked up into Hawkeye's rust-colored eyes but decided that complaining would not get him nowhere. I want to go home.

"Please tell me this is the last patch." Okay, so maybe he was still going to try his luck with pleading. Hawkeye glared at him. Don't look at me like that. I don't like it. That look scares me. "Right. Shutting up", Roy muttered as he continued to sign papers. I should just burn them; that would make them go away. But then _she_ would bring more for me. _She_ always brings more. I should just burn _her_. All it would take is a snap and _she_ would be no more. Dead and gone. Just like all the others. Snap.

The tip of Roy's pen ran across the papers quickly, leaving behind a neatly written signature. Roy Mustang could take pride in knowing that not everyone had an equally perfect handwriting. I don't want to do this. I just want it all to stop. Why can't this just go away? Why can't I just go away? Why can't _she_ just go away?

Hawkeye walked off, pleased to see her superior working like he was supposed to. I hate you, you fucking bitch. One of these days I _will_ kill you. Snap

It was hours later when Roy was finally finished with signing the papers. The put the last document on top of a pile that was the tallest one Roy had encountered so far. Is this going to continue like this? Is it going to get bigger every single day? I don't want it to happen. I hate this enough as it is.

"Oh, boss, you finally done?" Havoc asked with a bright grin around his cigarette. Do you know what those things do to you? You're going to die before you reach sixty. But then again, so is _she_ if she doesn't stop making me want to kill her so much. I should probably just get it over with. Want to be added to the list? I could kill you too, you know. It would be easy, ridiculously so. It would take a simple snap to kill you. Snap.

"Yes, Havoc, I'm done", Roy said to his subordinate with a tired sigh. He ran a hand through his hair as he regarded the taller man with a questioning look. "Why do you ask?" You don't care about me, do you? No one cares about me. I'm all alone. No one would even blink if I died.

"Just wondering if we could head off already", Havoc said with a grin. Of course. That's all you ever care about. All of you are simply interested in how soon you can get rid of me. Guess what? I don't give a damn. Know why? Because I could kill you all as easily as you would light another cigarette. Snap.

"Go right ahead", Roy said while he stretched his arms, his back popping from sitting in his chair the whole day.

"Thanks, boss", Havoc said, saluted and was off. That's right. Run off you pathetic little fuck. You are all insects to me. I could just squash you if you annoy me too much. I wouldn't even break a sweat while doing it. Snap.

"Oy! Bastard Colonel!" Ed's voice called across the office, bringing Roy's attention to the shorter alchemist. What is it this time? Are you going to yell at me again? Please don't. It makes me feel like you hate me. I don't want to be hated.

"Fullmetal", Roy drawled when the blond boy was close enough. "It's kind of late so make it fast." Please, _please_ don't break anything. It makes me feel awful when you do.

"I..." Ed trailed off suddenly, glancing around like he was afraid he would be heard. What would you possibly have to say to me except insults? You hate me so much it makes me want to curl into a corner and cry. "I have to ask you something."

"Fine, shoot", Roy said as he plopped down on top of a nearby desk. So you aren't going to use me this time around? Funny, really, with all the complaining about me using you one would think you wouldn't be a person to take advantage of others. But here we are, the two of us, using each other at every chance we get.

"I thought you might understand", Ed said as he jumped up to sit next to the Colonel. "Since you're an alchemist, since you've had to use your abilities to fight." The blond trailed off for a moment before continuing: "Have you ever thought about killing?"

"I _have_ killed people, Fullmetal", Roy snapped at the blond. "Don't ask stupid questions." Don't ask me about that. I feel bad enough without you being a constant reminder of everything I've ever done.

Ed glared at the older man before huffing: "I know _that_. What I meant is that have you ever thought about killing. I mean, have you ever considered the fact that it would be easy for us to kill someone? We're so much more stronger..." Fullmetal trailed off at that. Roy leaned back to rest his weight on his hands. "I've thought about it. Really, all it would take for me to break every bone in someone's body is clap. That's all it takes for me to blow up their organs. Clap." Ed lifted his feet up on the desk and leaned his chin on his knees. "You think I'm crazy." It's okay. So am I.

"Quite frankly, yes", Roy said simply. Takes one to know one, right? "But that's okay." Roy reached out and ruffled Ed's hair. "With such a crazy world around us, you're probably the only one who seems sane." Because I bet you don't think about killing every time another person talks to you. Even now I'm wondering how big of a splotch Armstrong would make on a wall if I was to use my alchemy on him. Snap.

The two were silent for a long time, Ed staring at Roy intently and Roy wondering what the boy was looking at. Before the Colonel could ask about it, though, the blond spoke: "You're crazy too." I guess that makes you truly crazy for you to be able to notice it as well.

"Perhaps", Roy muttered as he glanced to the wall facing the two. I'm more than 'crazy too'. I'm as crazy as you. "But I think you mean that I'm sane as well."

When Ed did not reply Roy turned his head to look into the golden eyes of his subordinate. I wouldn't think about killing you, if that's what you're afraid of. Roy lifted an eyebrow before speaking: "Don't you agree with me?"

At first the blond did not reply. But then Ed nodded his head and looked at the wall, just like Roy had done a moment ago.

"I think you're right. I mean, it makes perfect sense once I think about it."

"Of course it does", Roy said simply as he stood up. "After all, we're two perfectly sane people here."

_**Owari**_


	11. 6:1 Short

Theme: Short

Title: Lets Abuse the Colonel

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: It's probably a good thing that Ed doesn't know what goes on in the headquarters when he's not around...

**Lets Abuse the Colonel**

When a sudden heavy pair of footsteps came to a stop right in front of Roy's desk the raven-haired man glanced up, only to realize that he could not see anything past the man's chin. With an internal groan Roy pushed his chair back and crossed his right leg over his left one, trying to look like he was leaning back casually when this was actually the only way he could see that other man's face without standing up.

"Hughes", Roy greeted the arrival formally. "This had better be important. I'm busy."

Maes only flashed the Colonel one of his crooked smiles as he jibed: "Yup. Busy avoiding work, as usual." Roy huffed indignantly at that but Maes was not done speaking. "I do know about the fact that you like to doodle little cartoons of yourself on the marginals with captions like: 'I'm a stud.'"

"I'm doing no such thing!" Roy snarled at his soon to be former best friend. And it was the truth. Even if Roy considered himself a stud he would not go scribbling it down on every piece of paper he could find. No, today's theme was: 'I'm one handsome devil.'

"Well, it doesn't really matter", Maes said with a careless shrug. "I'm not here to tell on you or to lecture." He placed a steaming cup down on Roy's desk. "I come bearing gifts."

Roy lifted the cup between his hands and took a deep breath through his nose, smelling the bitter scent of the liquid. He kept his gaze on Maes as he asked: "Where did you get this?"

"Not from the coffee machine in the break room if that's what you mean", Maes said pleasantly. "It's from the coffee shop down the street."

A smile graced Roy's lips as he sipped the coffee, deciding that Maes was his best friend once again. That was until the brown liquid touched his tongue.

Maes barely managed to dodge the spray when Roy spat the coffee out of his mouth along with a series of well-chosen curses as some of the coffee dripped from his chin on the previously stainless fabric of his jacket. In his haste to wipe the liquid off his chin Roy accidentally tilted his cup, staining his jacket even further.

"Hughes!" Roy roared as he slammed the cup on the table. "What is this poison you tried to kill me with?"

"It's just coffee", Maes said calmly before picking up the cup and taking a sip. He lifted an eyebrow at Roy over the rim of the cup as he continued: "It's my cup but I thought you might need it more."

The smile Roy gave Maes was all teeth as the man grunted nastily: "Not that I don't appreciate you caring enough to think of me but your taste in coffee isn't fit for anyone else's digestion."

Maes gulped the rest of the coffee down happily before questioning Roy: "I really can't see what's wrong with it."

"Only the fact that you pour enough sugar in it to make it toxic", Roy drawled in aggravation.

"Well", Maes started with a shrug. "It's not my fault you're so bitter you hate anything sweet." Roy's eyebrow twitched as he muttered: "Bitter?"

"Yeah", Maes spoke with a nod. "I mean, a man your age and you haven't had a single stable relationship."

Roy gritted his teeth and growled at his friend: "I really feel sorry for Elysia." At Maes' curious look he grinned evilly. "She'll have to grow up without a father." With that he had pulled his gloves on. Maes was out of the office like lightning, Roy hot on his heels.

They never made it out of the main office as Hawkeye stopped them. There was a more than slightly angry look in her ruby eyes as she regarded the two men.

"Where do you think you're going, Colonel?" Riza spoke sternly, pressing her voice when she mentioned Roy's rank. She glanced at the raven-haired man's jacket. "And looking like that, even." Roy looked down at the growing stain on his jacket. "Come on." Riza grabbed Roy's arm and dragged him to the closet that had been set in the seemingly most distant corner of the room. She opened it and pulled out a clean blue jacket, offering it to Roy.

"It's a close fit but I think you can wear it for the rest of the day", Riza said as Roy pulled his own jacket off. She then allowed Roy to pull the new jacket off. It was stiff, like it had never been worn before, and rather tight on the shoulders but it was not by so much that it would be visible.

"Why is there a spare jacket in the closet?" Maes asked curiously as plopped himself down on a desk to sit. Riza slapped Roy's hands away from his collar and proceeded to close the buttons herself as she answered: "It's mine but there was a flaw in the measurements that were taken so it's a loose fit. It should be fine for the Colonel, then, since we're close to being the same size."

There was a sudden sound of movement, causing Roy to flinch and turn around to see Havoc, whose unlit cigarette was twitching between lips. Roy glared at the man with animosity that seemed to say: "Go ahead. Make my day." Havoc seemed to get the message since he looked pointedly away. Roy failed to take into account another person, though, and just then Maes cooed loudly: "Why, it's as if it was made for you, Roy! It's such a perfect fit!"

"MAES!" Roy bellowed and Maes took that as his cue to leave. Before the taller man's form had even completely disappeared through the door Roy had darted after him.

Even though Maes did not have much of a head start Roy did not manage to catch him. This result was brought up when Roy hit an obstacle. He ran straight into a wall that had jumped in his way right out of nowhere.

'Who put a wall in the middle of a hallway?' Roy thought dazedly as he looked up at the wall from his position on the floor. The wall was mostly blue and clearly man-shaped.

"I am terribly sorry Colonel Mustang sir", Armstrong's voice boomed as he bended down to offer Roy a hand to help him up. "It's just that you came at me so fast. I didn't have any time to move out of the way."

"That is quite alright, Major Armstrong", Roy said as he grasped the offered hand, allowing the larger man to pull him up and back on his feet. Now that he was standing barely a foot away from the Major Roy realized that even if he craned his head back as far as he could go he could not see past Armstrong's bulky chest. As discreetly as he was able to Roy stepped back a few steps and only had to tilt his head backwards to see Armstrong's eyes. This little annoyance gave Roy one of his most brilliant ideas. He would make it his first priority as Fuhrer, even more important than his miniskirt campaign: a strict protocol for the proper distance that one should take while engaged in a conversation with their superior.

"Where were you going in such a hurry, if you allow me to ask, sir?" Armstrong questioned.

"I'm looking for your superior", Roy answered simply. "He went this way. Did you see him?"

"Yes, I did", Armstrong replied while beaming at the Colonel. Roy was so busy mentally screaming: "Aagh! My eyes!" that he almost missed Armstrong's next words. "He ran straight to the front yard."

It was both to roast Maes and to escape Armstrong's pink sparkles that Roy immediately darted to the direction he had been given.

&&&&&&&

"I can't believe it was another dead end!" Ed groaned as he and Al arrived in the courtyard of the military headquarters. There was a crowd gathered there, loud chatter filling the air as everyone looked at the building.

"What's going on?" Ed asked as he yanked on a random soldier's jacket sleeve. "What is everyone looking at?"

The man glanced down at Ed quickly before replying: "We're watching Lieutenant Colonel Hughes dodge Colonel Mustang's fireballs. The Lieutenant Colonel is on the rooftop, so that puts a good distance between the two but Colonel's aim is improving with each ball he throws."

"But why is the Colonel trying to fry Hughes?" Al's voice asked, sounding frightened. At that, as if to answer the armor's question, an enraged scream ran across the courtyard, coming from no other than the Colonel in question: "Who are you calling so small that women's clothes fit him?"

Ed felt eyes on him then and glanced up to see Al looking at him in a scolding manner. Before he could ask what it was that he had done wrong this time Al exclaimed: "Niisan! What have you been teaching the Colonel?"

_**Owari**_

Ending Notes: I got the idea for this story when I saw a group shot of Roy's team and I noticed that the only people shorter than Roy are Fury and Hawkeye. No wonder he picks on Ed's height when he is short himself. And just in case you were wondering why Roy did not simply use alchemy to clean his jacket; Hawkeye has prohibited alchemy inside the office.


	12. 6:2 Tall

Theme: Tall

Title: Lets Abuse The Colonel Some More

Pairings: RoyEd and EdRoy (seriously)

Rating: T

Warnings: AU, yaoi and mentions of obscenities

Summary: That day could have been monumental, but Roy's crew is used to these kinds of antics.

**Lets Abuse The Colonel Some More**

It was a normal, busy day at the headquarters. Everyone was doing their work with diligence for once, which was not really all that strange since Hawkeye was currently doing her rounds. She had started doing this ever since Havoc made the mistake of buying her a new half-automatic firearm for her birthday. The rest of the crew still had not forgiven him for that one.

The door to the office was slammed open suddenly, but no one reacted since this was a rather common occurrence. They had actually been expecting it, since the Fullmetal Alchemist was coming back from vacation today.

And it truly was the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric who marched to the middle of the office, his long, golden braid swinging behind him. Ed struck a dramatic pose and pointed at Mustang, who had just filled his cup from the coffee maker, and bellowed: "Freeze, Mustang!"

With a sigh the raven-haired man sipped on his coffee before saying: "What is so important that you must interrupt our work?"

An incredibly triumphant grin split on Ed's face as he stated: "I've grown during my break. I'm now taller than you."

At that point people actually glanced up. It was true that Ed had finally started growing but no one had believed that the blond alchemist would grow any taller than Hawkeye. But now, as they watched both the blond and the raven-haired men stand opposite to each other, even if apart, they could see that Ed was the taller one. If only by an inch or so.

Ed smirked viciously, clearly making Mustang feel uncomfortable. Golden eyes flickered slightly before the blond finished: "And that means I utterly own your ass."

Mustang went slightly paler than that which was normal when silence fell over the office. Havoc was the one to break it when he coughed subtly before speaking: "Aren't you being just a tad bit obsessive now, chief?" The man only got a lifted eyebrow from Fullmetal as the alchemist said: "I'd rather call it possessive."

There was a series of frantic coughing from Mustang when the man apparently almost choked on his coffee. His face was a color of bright red as he started to move towards the door to his private office. In a voice that sounded almost like a squeak the raven-haired man spoke: "I think I'll just go finish my paperwork now..."

In a flash Ed had moved across the office and caught his superior from around the waist. This time Mustang did squeak when he was pulled against the blond alchemist, knowing very well that everyone in the office was watching their actions.

"I've waited..." Ed purred to Mustang's ear in a low voice. "And I'm done waiting now."

"Umm..." a timid voice spoke suddenly, interrupting Ed. Both alchemists turned to look at Fury, Mustang with relief and Ed with annoyance at being interrupted. "What is going on here?" the timid soldier questioned.

"Nothing if people won't stop interrupting", Ed grunted in an aggravated manner. "But I was **planning** on having my taller-than-him way with Roy here."

"Oh!" havoc exclaimed suddenly, bringing the whole room's attention to himself. "It's the unwritten rule!" He grinned at his co-workers. "In a homosexual relationship the taller one dominates."

"Very good, Havoc", Ed said in a manner that was genuinely impressed while Mustang buried his face in Ed's shoulder, hoping to hide himself form everyone's eyes that way.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle with you", Ed muttered before sweeping Roy off his feet and picking him up bridal style. "It being your first time and all." With that Ed proceeded to carry Roy out of the office. When he passed Hawkeye he said: "The Fuhrer will be taking the rest of the day off."

Surprisingly Hawkeye did not even try to stop them but merely nodded her head, actually saluted, and stepped out of the alchemist's way.

"Hawkeye, you traitor!" Roy yelled while he was carried off. "You're supposed to protect my virtue!"

"Enjoy your day off, sir!" Hawkeye called into the hallway before closing the door. When she turned around everyone went back to work. After all, it was not like this had not happened before either, only the other way around. Havoc still wondered if Roy could manage to be more bitchy about it than Ed, though.

_**Owari**_


	13. 7:1 Life

Theme: Life

Title: Who I Want to Be

Pairings: Roy/Ed, Wrath/Roy

Rating: T

Warnings: yaoi, violence

Summary: Wrath is obsessed with becoming real through becoming Ed.

**Who I Want to Be**

"Get those things away from my face!" Roy growled at Armstrong while swinging his hand in a wide arch. It had the desired effect when Armstrong stepped away from the Colonel, getting his pink sparkles away from Roy's already hurting eyes in the process. With a pout that Roy thought really did not suit the taller alchemist Armstrong whined: "I really don't see what bothers you so much about my form."

"I am just strange that way, I guess", Roy muttered offhandedly as he glanced around Laboratory 5. They were going through the whole building in order to find any clues on the homunculi but so far they were coming out empty-handed. Roy's unit had come to help the investigations department with the investigations since they were taking so long. Roy suspected that they had been ordered to assist on the investigations so that Roy had less time to be in his superiors' way.

"Make yourself useful and go help check the east halls", Roy said to Armstrong before taking off in the opposite direction. "I'm going this way."

"There's no one else there yet, Mustang sir", Armstrong said in a worried tone of voice. "You shouldn't go there alone."

"It'll be alright, Major Armstrong", Roy told his companion. "It's not like the homunculi would stick around here since they are aware of the fact that we know they operated here." With that the Colonel disappeared into a dark hallway, leaving Armstrong behind.

"Finally some peace and quiet", Roy sighed to himself as he made his way to the room at the end of the hallway. It was slightly strange that there had not been built any other rooms on the hallway but then again, the building was fairly old so it was not bound to have logical architecture. Roy pushed at the double doors, which surprisingly opened without any trouble. All the other doors had required force in order to be opened. Deciding that it did not mean anything Roy walked inside the dark room.

It was a testing lab, Roy noticed after he snapped a flame to the tips of his fingers in order to see around himself. There did not seem to be anything special about it; it was middle-sized, only containing some broken down research tables and various instruments scattered around the floor.

Suddenly there was a clap, the sound echoing in the dark room. Then there was a lightning-like flash and Roy's feet sank into the floor.

"What the-?" Roy exclaimed in surprise but had already positioned his fingers into a snap. Just then a dark form leaped out of the darkness in front of him and slammed something against his right hand. I was a pike of sorts that slammed right through his hand. The pain from the wound left the man completely unable to defend against the second strike that followed the first one in mere seconds: a second pike pierced his left hand, leaving the Colonel completely unable to snap his fingers. The joined pain of both his hands becoming useless Roy screamed.

The pain clouded the Colonel's vision completely and he only noticed a flash as the person in the room worked on some more alchemy. Roy barely registered his foots being freed moments before he was pushed to the floor. He fell hard against the metal surface, his head ringing from the impact. Roy barely registered hearing a crackle and suddenly he was unable to move his hands or arms.

"Gotcha", a childish voice spoke suddenly and Roy focused his gaze on a childish face. A weight settled down on his stomach as the person who had imprisoned him leaned over him. The child had long, dark green hair and greyish eyes. Something told Roy that this was not human, but one of the homunculi even if Roy had never come to face with this particular one.

"Let me go", Roy ordered firmly even if it did not have much sense in trying to command a homunculus. But since he was unable to snap he needed to do something. Just lying still and quiet while the homunculus killed him did not seem like an appealing option.

"No I won't", the homunculus argued like a child who did not want to give up a new toy. "You're Edward's so if I take you I'll be Edward."

Roy stared at the homunculus and suddenly he knew exactly which one of them was sitting on him. He remembered Fullmetal telling him about a homunculus that had the arm and leg he had given up, the ability to do alchemy without drawing arrays and who had somehow gotten it into his head that he could become a real living human by taking the Ed's place.

"That's not how it works", Roy huffed as he attempted to move his wrists. He needed to find out how much moveability he had. Apparently the wrist bonds the homunculus had conjured up from the floor were not tight enough to stop him from moving completely. It would be messy but if he could figure out a simple enough array that would help him out of the situation and that he could draw with his blood he just might get out of this situation.

A hand pressed against the side of Roy's face and his onyx eyes widened when they locked with the misty ones of the homunculus once more. Tenderly, almost like he actually had emotions Wrath spoke: "I could be a good Edward. I'll show you." That said the homunculus leaned in and pressed his lips against Roy's own. The kiss felt off as soon as it was forced upon the Colonel. It felt like he was kissing snake's skin; the lips meeting his own were moist and cold, not at all soft and warm like Edward's.

Realizing that this was his own chance to act, the only moment the homunculus could be caught off guard, Roy swallowed the disgust he was feeling and kissed the fiend on top of him back. Encouraged by this Wrath grabbed the front of Roy's jacket into his fists, clearly completely absorbed in the kiss. Meanwhile Roy softly pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand against the wound in the middle of his hand and started to draw an array on the floor on a spot that had not been covered by the puddle of blood forming under his hand. It was not an array he used often but remembered well how to use. It was also one of the simpler ones. Once it was done Roy activated it and tore his face away from the homunculus, gritting his teeth against the pain that was to follow.

First Wrath simply exclaimed in surprise from Roy's sudden movement. Then the homunculus screamed in pain and jumped back on his feet. Roy also felt the increased heat of the floor through his jacket. He actually felt like he was being cooked. Sweat was beginning to run down his face as he hurriedly used his left hand to draw another array and activate it. Finally his wrists were freed and he quickly pulled himself to his feet.

Finally Wrath caught on to what was going on. The small homunculus screamed in a fit of rage as he attacked towards Roy. The Colonel simply turned around and ran, opposed to answering to the assault. He knew when he was in no position to win. The homunculus would have been an unbelievably dangerous opponent even if Roy had been able to use his fire alchemy. Now he had from little no chance at all to win.

Surprisingly the homunculus did not attempt to pursue him after he got out of the lab. Still, Roy continued to run until he got to the rest of the team investigating the labs. Not soon after he was noticed his feet gave away and he sunk down to his knees. Footsteps echoed in the room as people rushed to aid the Colonel.

"Roy! Roy, are you alright?" Edward's voice called a moment before the alchemist in question grabbed Roy's arms. Roy glanced at his lover's worried face as he spoke: "A homunculus, I think it's Wrath."

Ed looked torn at the news. Roy could very well guess what was going on it the younger man's head. Ed was struggling with his desire to take after the monster and get revenge on Roy, that opposed with the blond also wanting to stay by Roy's side to make sure the other man was alright. Roy made the decision for him as he slowly requested: "Stay with me."

A nod was the only response Ed gave him and Roy smiled. Then he leaned his head against Ed's shoulder when the world around him seemed to spin. There was a shout from Ed when the blond apparently noticed his injuries but Roy was not paying any attention to it as his mind caught up with the state his body was in and he fainted from the loss of blood.

It really was better that Ed decided to stay with Roy. Wrath had long since left the small laboratory he had ambushed the Colonel in. But he would try again, at a different time and place. He would always try again as long as he thought that he could gain life by stealing someone else's.

_**Owari**_

Ending Notes: I really don't think there are many people who can mess up the theme 'Life' this bad.


	14. 7:2 Death

Theme: Death

Title: Touch of an Angel

Pairings: brotherly Maes/Roy

Rating: K 

Warnings: none

Summary: Even in death Maes' worry for Roy is top priority.

**Touch of an Angel**

Maes watched the sleeping form on the bed with mixed emotions. A part of him was wondering why this meant so much for him and another part knew exactly why he was where he was. A last night of walking on earth before he would move on, that was how Maes understood his situation. But, as his eyes peered through the darkness at his best friend, he wondered if one night really would be enough.

Pain shot through Maes' heart every time Roy's face confronted in agony as the raven-haired man slept. He was clearly experiencing a nightmare. Roy was sleeping on his side, facing Maes who was standing next to his bed. He was curled up into a fetal position, something Maes had been sure he would never witness his friend ever doing.

"Roy..." Maes spoke softly, touching Roy's shoulder with a transparent hand. Surprisingly the sleeping man's facial expression smoothened out and breathing evened out again. Maes pulled his hand back and observed his friend some more. Roy looked really vulnerable when he was asleep and all the childhood years he had deprived from himself came back.

While Maes sunk into his thoughts Roy frowned in his sleep as his breathing started to come out in loud and fast hitches. Maes only noticed something was wrong when the other man kicked harshly in his sleep, bringing his blanket off of him and sending it dropping halfway to the floor. The raven-haired man kept tossing on the bed and Maes hurriedly attempted to catch a hold of the man, forgetting all about the fact that he was dead and therefore could not really touch the other. Perhaps it was because of that when Roy's upper arms were suddenly in his strong grasp.

The frantic seizure-like movements of Roy's body had ceased and the man was seemingly limp in Maes' grip. A soft sob broke out from between thin lips as obsidian eyes opened ever so slightly to look at Maes. There were actually tears running down Roy's cheeks as the man whispered brokenly: "Maes... Maes..." over and over again.

"Shh", Maes hushed the distraught man. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault, you oaf. Just let it go, okay?"

A soft sniffle came from the younger man and Maes wondered if Roy could even hear him. Carefully he laid the other back down on the mattress as he picked up the discarded blanket and tossed it over his friend.

"Sleep", he ordered as he settled the blanket down more properly over Roy's frame. "Stop blaming yourself. It won't do anyone any good, it'll simply harm you and that isn't what I want you to do. Let the past go and focus on the future, understand?"

The dark eyes looking at Maes were even more heavily lidded than what was usual of the Colonel but something told Maes that his friend heard and understood every word he had spoken. Once more he said firmly: "Now sleep."

When Roy's eyes slid closed and the raven-haired man started to return to sleep Maes leaned once more over his long time friend. Brushing a few black stray hairs away from the pale face he whispered: "Sweet dreams, little brother." With that he was gone.

Deep asleep, Roy rolled over to his side with a small smile on his face, finally at peace.

_**Owari**_


	15. 8:1 Hope

Theme: Hope

Title: A Moment of Discovery

Pairings: none

Rating: K 

Warnings: none

Summary: One day we will finally make sense of feelings we have taken for granted, that is our moment of discovery.

**A Moment of Discovery**

Three months. It had been three months since Roy had last used his alchemy. The young man had not even looked at anything alchemy-related for weeks and yet he could not forget the smell of burning flesh that had been imprinted into his memory. The horrifying despair Roy was experiencing was almost enough to make him consider grabbing onto a gun again for an escape. But Roy would not allow himself to be that weak, because now he had a purpose and someone who supported that purpose. Maes would not want to find Roy dead when he dropped by again, with a bullet wound going through his head. And, frankly, Roy did not want to force his friend to see such a gruesome sight either.

The pain would never fade away, and Roy was starting to think that the memories would not do that either. Still, it was all a lot more bearable when he had a purpose. And his purpose was to make sure that the future would not have the same bloodshed that Roy's past was filled with. He would always protect those who were still innocent and rise above the corrupted. Now, if only he could get himself to walk among a crowd without having a panic attack...

It seemed that everything reminded him of war those days. The worst of all was the blue uniform he was forced to put on every single morning before making his way to the office. Roy had thrown away the uniform he had used in the war, along with the rest of his wardrobe, but still he swore he could smell blood on his clothes. Not even cologne was able to fix the problem and Roy was tempted to simply bathe in the stuff before taking off in the mornings. The one thing stopping him was his cursed pride that not even his self-loathing could overcome. Roy simply refused to be so weak as to allow his memories to make him act in a manner that would tell everyone that he was not completely all right anymore.

As Roy lay down on top of his bed sheets and stared motionlessly at his ceiling he absent-mindedly became aware of the storm that raged outside. Flashes of lightning were barely visible through the horribly green, thick curtains that covered his bedroom window. The storm became a very frustrating reality when in a soft snap all the lights in the small apartment went out.

Cursing loudly Roy sat up on bed, glaring at the surrounding darkness ineffectively. After a short while the raven-haired man became aware of how pointless the act was and got up from bed and stumbled his way to his desk, starting to blindly search through the drawers. He knocked items around and knew for a fact that he would have to clean up after himself the next day. Even though the very thought worsened his mood even more he pushed it to the side and continued with his digging.

After a while of that blind groping Roy's fingers brushed against cardboard. He felt around some more and found out that there were two boxes there, the other longer than the other.

Pulling the packages out of the drawer one at a time, Roy opened the larger one first. Pulling out a candle he placed the item on top of the desk before grabbing the second box. He pulled out a match and managed to get it lit after a couple of attempts to scratch the end of the stick to the side of the box. With the small source of light Roy saw the candle better and after grabbing it, he twirled it around in his grasp before lighting it.

A soft, warm light surrounded the small area around the desk and Roy placed the candle in a candleholder stationed at the corner of the desk. He then briefly regretted not having more of those damned things in his apartment. He had simply never deemed them necessary.

It was only after a while of sitting in the quiet room in only the single candle as his light source that Roy fully understood the magnitude of his current situation. His gaze turned to the small, innocent flame flapping slightly before his dark eyes. For some reason, the fire felt calming instead of frightening. The warmth that was radiated from the dancing flame and the clean scent of nothing but smoke were comforting.

Slowly a thin smile made its way on Roy's thin lips as the alchemist watched the flickering flame for a while longer until he finally felt tired enough to blow out the candle and crawl under his covers to sleep.

_**Owari**_


	16. 8:2 Despair

Theme: Despair

Title: Break a Trust to Keep a Promise

Pairings: none

Rating: T

Warnings: blood, character death

Summary: (AU) If there was one thing about Riza Hawkeye that never changed, it was the fact that she always kept her promises.

**Break a Trust to Keep a Promise**

No one attempted to stop me as I marched over to the Fuhrer's office. It was such a usual occurrence to see me angry and on my way to see the Fuhrer at the same time. No one was brave enough to approach the matter, nor did anyone see any reason to do so.

It was almost a ritual, how I would spend hours arguing loudly with my leader in his office. I would always scream at the man who never raised his voice to match mine. That was what truly told me that the man had lost his soul, which meant that the man allowed me to argue against his decisions only because of familiarity.

He knew I was coming, I knew this from how he did not even flinch when the door slammed open before me. I was yelling at him even before I had stepped fully inside the office. I was not even aware of the words I was spouting from my lips because I knew them to be futile. Still, I had to try. I tried to get passed the insanity that was all the man's mind consisted of. I wanted to make him see that he was not himself anymore, that this pointless killing would have to end. This killing of those who were not fit for the society he was shaping out of the world. I had to make him see that this vision of his was nothing more than a figment of a demented mind. For too long I had denied the fact that he had lost his mind, and now it seemed to be too late to bring him back from the other side.

When he simply stared at me, without even a twitch in the calm expression, I knew that there was no way to bring him back. I swiftly pulled out my loyal handgun, aiming it in the middle of the dark-haired man's forehead.

It was a desperate attempt to snap him out of whatever delusion was holding him captive but as I lifted my gun, the only reaction he gave to the action was a lifted eyebrow. At that uncaring look I realized that this was not the man I had served all these years. That he truly was gone. With a remorseful sigh I met his unwavering gaze a moment before I pulled the trigger.

There was no way I could have missed such an easy target. Red splattered the walls as a body fell to the floor in a crumbled heap. He never expected me to really shoot him, I realized. Somehow he had still remembered of the past enough to trust in my loyalty. It was a small source of regret, to know that in my quest to hold my promise to his cause I broke the trust he had in me.

A yet another sigh escaped from between my lips as I turned my gaze away from the man I had murdered. I raised the gun to my temple, the steel still warm from the previous shot fired.

"It was a pleasure working under you, sir", I spoke to the silent room. "Too bad you forgot why you were doing this in the first place." And with that I pulled the trigger for one final time.

_**Owari**_


	17. 9:1 Father

Theme: Father

Title: Over The Phone

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: A phone call between Maes and Roy after Gracia gives birth.

**Over The Phone**

"So everything turned out okay in the end?" Roy questioned when Maes reached the end of his tale. The other man had told the wild story of his wife's giving birth in such a lively manner that Roy's head was spinning slightly. After Maes had assured him that everything was indeed fine Roy asked: "How is the little one?"

"Oh, he's just fine", Maes spoke carelessly. "I mean, sure he was a bit shaken. I bet it was the first time he and his brother saw childbirth take place. They were very taken in by the wonder of it all once everything was alright again."

A frown came across Roy's face as the raven-haired man as he glared at the telephone apparatus in front of him in confusion. Finally he managed to ask: "Maes, what the heck are you going on about? Just who are we discussing?"

There was a brief silence before Maes cooed happily: "Why, Edward of course." There was another pause. "He is your little one, right?"

A twitch of Roy's left eyebrow was the only sign of the man starting to lose his temper but Maes could not see it over the phone and so was rather startled when the pale man snapped over the line: "I would never call that boy 'little one'! 'Shrimp' yes and 'shorty' definitely but never 'little one'."

"You don't have to yell at me..." came Maes' pathetic whine after Roy's words had passed. The raven-haired man was not moved by the hurt tone, however, and ignored the idiocy his friend was spouting as he spoke: "I meant to ask about the baby, Maes. Should I bring a pink or a blue jumpsuit?"

"Oh!" came the all-too-surprised exclamation from the other end, causing Roy to roll his eyes. "I am now officially a father to a beautiful baby girl." That last bit was spoken with delirious happiness to which Roy simply had to smile as he said gently: "Congratulations."

"Thanks", Maes said cheerfully. "I've been thinking about naming her Alicia but Gracia thinks it sounds too much like her name. I'm sure we will reach an agreement that both are happy with in the end, though."

"Don't you always?" Roy said with fondness a moment before the sound of footsteps reached his ears. His eyes widened briefly in panic as he hurriedly spoke to the receiver: "Hawkeye is coming. I need to go."

"Buh bye!" Maes cheered from the other end and Roy could imagine the other man's wide grin as he waved to thin air. "I'll send Edward your love."

"Don't bother", Roy grumbled before slamming the receiver down. A couple of seconds later Riza Hawkeye rounded the corned and stepped into his office. Rusty red eyes blinked at him once before the woman questioned: "Are you...blushing, sir?"

"You're imagining things", Roy snapped back as he took the papers the woman had brought with her. Ah, glorious paperwork. If there was one thing it was good for, then that was to avoid Hawkeye's questions.

_**Owari**_


	18. 9:2 Daughter

Theme: Daughter

Title: Idiot

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: In Winry's mind, alchemists and idiots were all the same thing.

**Idiot**

It was a day like any other day, and yet Winry had felt a strange **need** to leave the stuffy house and go for a walk. She had been feeling like that ever since she had woken up that morning and as she wondered what was so special about this day she did not really pay any attention to where she was going. Suddenly her steps came to a stop and she found herself at the edge of a graveyard.

Since she did not feel like turning back after walking all the way here she decided to at least visit her parents' graves. That had not been her conscious intention when she had gone outside but now that she was here anyway, she might as well do that.

As Winry walked a path she could remember even with her eyes closed, the grass and a couple of fallen leaves rustled softly underneath her shoes. Finally the girl looked up when she knew she could see the two tombstones set side by side. But her eyes were not drawn to the stones when she saw something unexpected. Her eyes went to the one thing she would not have usually seen.

There was someone standing right in front of the Rockbell couple's grave, a man in a long, black raincoat that billowed in the wind. The garment struck Winry as odd, since it had not rained the whole day. But the man's clothing did not grasp her attention like his profile did. It took Winry a moment to recognize the man because she had never seen him wear anything other than the royal blue military uniform. Still, she was certain that the man she was seeing was no other than Colonel Roy Mustang in all his civil glory.

After a brief moment of hesitation Winry finally made her way to the man, stopping a couple of metres away as she spoke: "Good afternoon, Colonel."

Mustang turned to her sharply and for the first time the girl noticed the large bouquet of white lilies that the man was squeezing almost violently in his grasp. The raven-haired man's knuckles were actually white because of the tight grip he had on the flowers. Not one to be a coward, however, Winry soon lifted her gaze to the man's face, staring in wonderment on the single wet trail that started from the corner of the man's left eye and stopped at him chin.

"Are you crying, Colonel?" Winry asked almost breathlessly. Mustang's face was then turned away from hers as the man coughed into his free hand before kneeling down to place the flowers right in the middle of the two gravestones that read: "Rockbell". Winry thought that she heard the man mumble something about rain but ignored it as she questioned rather harshly: "Why are you here?"

"This is the day", was all Mustang said as he stood up again, still not meeting Winry's gaze again. Winry knew for certain that her parents' had been buried on a date that was still a month away. That would mean...

"You cannot apologise to the dead, Colonel", Winry spoke with a deep frown taking over her features. She found her hands twitching as she briefly wondered if all Mustang needed was a wrench to his scull to be reasonable.

"Why apologise when you can't be forgiven?" Mustang questioned then quietly. His dark eyes finally met Winry's bright ones. "I am sorry for what I did but I doubt you wish to forgive me for such an inhumane act."

"Let me be the judge of that, you idiot", Winry grumbled and grabbed the man's sleeve in a vice grip. "You're all such idiots, I swear."

"Excuse me?" came Mustang's incredulous exclamation when Winry started pulling the man after him. Winry shot the man a glare that had him snapping his mouth shut. Then the girl started to speak: "Don't think this is the first time I've seen this. Do you honestly think that torturing yourself will make everything better?"

"I don't want to forget", Mustang spoke and Winry listened even though she was not looking the man but at the road before them. "I have to remember to-"

"You don't want to repeat the mistake", Winry snapped. "You think keeping the pain alive will be better but it isn't." Winry huffed as she suddenly remembered another alchemist, one with golden eyes and hair. "Why are you alchemists such a depressing lot? Haven't you ever heard of learning from your mistakes? You don't have to constantly torture yourselves in order to do that. Regret will be enough."

"You don't understand", Mustang started but Winry was not about to listen to him. She turned around to face the man and gave him the most deadly glare she could muster. Her voice was cold as ice as she spoke: "Don't tell me what I do and don't understand, Colonel. There is something similar to working with both alchemy and automail. In both you can make mistakes that can ruin or save a human life. But the difference between mechanics and alchemists is that mechanics can let failures go and just learn from them."

There was only silence from the colonel and Winry beamed at the man as she questioned in a friendly manner: "Would you care for a cup of tea? I think there might be some pastries as well."

When Mustang looked too indecisive for her liking Winry decided to make the decision for the man. She moved her grasp from the sleeve to around a wrist that seemed too slim for that of a man. She did not pay any mind to that, however, as she simply lead the rest of the way to the house she shared with her grandmother.

_**Owari**_


	19. 10:1 Written

Written

Theme: Written

Title: The Perfect Gift

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: If there was one thing that set Roy apart from the mass, it was the fact that he hated receiving gifts.

**The Perfect Gift**

It was an early morning when Roy crossed through the office to his own private office and his desk, or rather, what was visible of said desk since it was covered in packages of various shapes and sizes. The bright colors of the wrapping papers did nothing to improve the bad mood the man had been in ever since he had woken up. On the contrary Roy was snapping his gloveless fingers as he observed the pile with distaste. All the cards attached to the packages had different names on them and Roy was having difficulties with remembering the face behind each name. Not that it mattered or anything; none of the senders really knew Roy all that well either.

Flattered was what most people would have been in face of such a mountain of gifts from beautiful women. Roy was flattered, actually, but annoyance and frustration easily covered that emotion. He did not even want to think what all those presents contained nor was he looking forward to unwrapping them all.

There were footsteps from behind him and Roy turned his head around in time to see Havoc give him a small wave in passing.

"Happy birthday, chief", the blond said cheerfully. "We were planning on going out drinking for the occasion so don't make Hawkeye mad at you and get stuck here overtime."

"Right", Roy muttered offhandedly but clearly and Havoc walked off. The tall man closed the door as well, leaving Roy alone with the pile of gifts taking up the surface of his desk. They were all impersonal gifts send by strangers with no real emotion behind them. Roy snarled at the lot.

An enraged yell was fought back as Roy assaulted. The Colonel swept his arm across the desk with as much strength as he could muster. The tower of wrapped boxes tilted and then fell, most of the presents ending up on the floor. Roy swiped again, this time to the opposite direction, and the rest of the gifts clattered to the carpeted surface. Roy took sick pleasure in imagining all of the boxes to contain something fragile.

The sound of knocking reached Roy's ears a moment before the door behind him was pushed open. Roy knew only one person who entered his office like that and groaned under his breath as he turned around to face the newcomer.

"Hiya, Roy", Maes greeted in his typical overly cheerful manner and Roy nodded his head curtly in greeting before scratching the side of his head and asking: "Why are you invading my privacy this time around?" He got a folder showed into his face in response.

"That's the info you requested", Maes replied as Roy accepted the pale-colored folder. Then the taller man winked before marching out of the office.

There was a thoughtful frown on Roy's face as he kicked his office door shut after his friend. Just what had that wink been about? Roy had no idea as he glanced down at the folder in his hands and flipped it open. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the files inside but Roy's eyes did spot a little something that did not belong there.

Roy picked up a plain, white piece of paper that had been folded in the middle. Roy opened it slowly and read the short lines that had been written inside with careless handwriting.

_Happy birthday Roy! Try not to roast your admirers._

_Maes_

_P.S. I'll bring some cake during lunch._

It was perfect. Roy disliked overwhelming sentimentality but this time Maes had managed to write just the right kind of a message. Even as he kicked a pink box out of his way before dropping down in his chair, the raven-haired Colonel did not sink back into his previous foul mood. In fact, as Roy leaned back in his chair, he smiled.

_**Owari**_


	20. 10:2 Spoken

Spoken

Theme: Spoken

Title: Words of Affection

Pairings: Riza/Roy

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Honesty was one of the things about Roy that Riza admired. It was too bad that being straightforward was not one of those things as well.

**Words of Affection**

"I adore you." Those were the words Roy had spoken to Riza when the two of them had first gotten together. At that time Riza had accused the man of being a corny romantic but now she was starting to reconsider that view. Roy had not once said anything more meaningful than that to her. Sure, Riza had had her beauty and personality complimented by the man various times but Roy had never spoken the one word she deep down wished to hear.

The one proof Riza had of meaning something special to Roy was the fact that the man did not treat her like other women. The colonel took Riza out like any other woman, but it was to places that the man did not usually bother with. Roy's favorite ways to spend a date with Riza seemed to be to walk in the marketplace or the riverside, or to drive to the border of East City. Riza had soon realized that these were places where Roy could simply enjoy Riza's company without the slightest distraction. It was not a well-known fact, but Riza was aware of it, that the colonel was completely unable to relax in large crowds and would always be keeping an eye out in case of any possible threat. This was why Riza preferred it when Roy would pick her up with a car on a day off because that always meant that they would drive to the almost completely uninhabited outskirts of the city.

One would think that with his past Roy Mustang would find it difficult to find solace in sandy desert fields, but the truth was that the man's mind did not connect the desert to death, but small towns. Riza knew that Roy had grown up in a small town but with the way things were now the man would probably never be able to relax in his own hometown.

"Do you know what I like about the desert, Riza?" Roy asked once when the two of them were walking away from the black military car they had come with. Riza waited patiently for Roy to continue on his own. She was a woman of little words and knew that Roy would notice the prompting expression on her face.

"Even though it's completely bare, it's beautiful", Roy spoke after a short moment, all the while looking at Riza's face instead of the sight before them. "Nothing can change it and make it something that it is not." At this part the dark-haired man turned his eyes to the spreading sands and Riza worried about the possibility of sunburn when she saw that the skin of Roy's face and ears was tinted slightly red. Roy's dark eyes were intense as the man finished: "I love that kind of true beauty. Do you understand that, Riza?"

To be truthful, Riza did not understand at all. She had not idea where the colonel was getting with this but she could not say so. She wanted to ask for an explanation or the colonel's reasons for speaking such words but she could not bring herself to. Roy was a brilliant man, and he knew it. Riza knew it as well, even though she would never admit to it. But, because of that said brilliance Riza always wondered if she was smart enough. Roy was also very good-looking and Riza had to wonder if she was pretty enough for him. All in all, Riza was always thinking about the possibility of not being good enough. Because of this Riza did not speak her thoughts out loud. She did not want to lose the respect Roy had for her, nor did she want to lose his precious adoration.

"We should head back, Roy", Riza said gently to the man beside her. "It's a very hot day and you might get a heatstroke if you stay out here too long." With that said Riza took the man by the arm and started to lead him back towards the car. "We can go to my place and I'll make us both some tea, something that tastes a lot better than the one at headquarters."

With her gaze focused so completely on their goal, the car, Riza completely missed the lost and desperate look in Roy's eyes.

_**Owari**_

Ending Notes: To put it simply, what Roy was trying to say was: "You are honest about yourself so I find you beautiful. I love you", but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Also, while writing this, I noticed how odd it felt to write Riza and Roy being on first name basis with each other.


	21. 11:1 Cold

Cold

Theme: Cold

Title: Recuperation

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: spoilers of the end of the series

Summary: Healing is a long process, sometimes even tedious.

**Recuperation**

There was no sign of Roy anywhere. Riza had looked through the entire house but had failed to locate the man. It had been a surprise when Riza had come home from the marketplace only to find Roy missing. The dark-haired male had not left bed at all during the time he had been recuperating so Riza has not expected that to change.

Still, Roy would have to be somewhere in the house. It was pouring outside and Riza had gotten herself completely wet in only a few short moments. It was after she had changed her clothes that she went to check on Roy and had not found the man.

Roy hated rain and it had been raining for some time now, ever since Riza had arrived at the market. Because of that Riza was absolutely certain that her superior officer could not have gone outside.

Sighing in frustration Riza noticed that Black Hayate had disappeared as well. She became aware of the sound of barking coming from the backyard. She had told the dog to keep an eye on Roy and she wondered if the man had actually been foolish enough to go outside after all.

Deciding that it was better to check just to be sure Riza made her way to the backdoor and opened it to peer into the rain.

And there was Roy, standing in the middle of the yard with his head leaning back, facing away from the door. Black Hayate was running around in the mud puddles getting himself dirty and Riza frowned at the two idiots.

Roy was still in his pajamas and Riza was ready to bet that the man was barefoot as well. The blonde turned around on her heels and went to retrieve her shoes and an umbrella from the front door. Then she made her way back to the backdoor and marched over to the completely wet man staring up into heavens.

"What are you doing out here, idiot?" Riza spoke in an exasperate tone as she eyed Roy's impassive expression. There was a slow blink before the dark-haired male's face was turned to Riza and the woman noticed that she could see the half-healed scars spreading out in a web on Roy's skin around where his left eye used to be. Roy had taken off his eye patch for the first time since getting it.

"I don't think I really mind the rain…" Roy muttered offhandedly, almost distractedly and Riza blinked in surprise. "Maybe the sky knows something I don't. It sure seems like it."

Unable to figure out an appropriate answer to Roy's statement Riza turned her attention to inspecting the man's condition. She immediately noticed that Roy's lips had started to turn blue.

Reaching out with a hand to grasp a soaked arm Riza spoke in a surprisingly gentle tone of voice: "It's good that you're allowing your wounds to heal properly but you're going to catch hypothermia out here." She gave the appendage in her grasp a slight squeeze. "Come on. I'll take you inside." And with that she started to lead Roy towards the door, pausing only to call over her shoulder for Black Hayate to get out of the rain as well.

"What were you thinking, going outside like that?" Riza questioned after kicking the door shut after Hayate. She had let go of Roy's arm and now the man was standing in the middle of the hall, dripping water on the floorboards and shivering from the cold. A weak, sheepish smile slowly made his way on his pale face as he managed a shrug in response to the question. Riza huffed in an annoyed manner, not showing how worried she really was. This peculiar behaviour was definitely unlike the usually strong man and Riza had to wonder if Roy had been injured in more ways than one.

A soft sigh escaped from between Riza's lips before she ordered sternly: "Go change clothes and I'll make you some tea to warm you up."

While Riza was off making the tea she promised Roy dried himself off and changed clothes in his room. He was constantly looking at the window, watching the rainwater stream down the surface. It was something so natural and so calmingly cold. Ever since his battle against the homunculus Pride Roy had felt like he could never escape the feel of flames burning around him. But when he had stood in the cold rain he had felt something other than intense heat.

It was not something he could tell Riza easily, even though the woman had been very supportive during the time he had been healing. He was already suspecting that Riza doubted his mental stability and he was certain that the woman was even more doubtful now that she had caught Roy standing in the rain. He had not planned on getting caught but he had lost himself in the feeling of being at peace for once.

"Here's your tea", Riza's voice came then and Roy turned to the blonde woman, giving her a grateful smile.

"Thanks", Roy murmured as he accepted the cup Riza was offering to him and took a sip of the hot drink. He watched as Riza walked past him to grab an extra blanket from the closet. Not wanting to be ordered to do so, Roy made his way to the bed on his own and sat down on the mattress where he continued to sip on his tea.

"Honestly, you're like a big child considering how much caring for you need", Riza grumbled as she wrapped the blanket around Roy's shoulders. "You're a grown man and yet you do things that are too stupid for even a five-year-old to consider."

"It was something I needed to do", Roy said simply before gulping down the last of his tea. Riza took the empty cup back and glared at Roy, clearly dissatisfied with the explanation. But Roy was not about to elaborate and as soon as he was healing better he would request for a change in his post. He needed to be somewhere cooler, perhaps somewhere up North.

_**Owari**_


	22. 11:2 Heat

Heat

Theme: Heat

Title: Body Heat

Pairings: none

Rating: K

Warnings: none

Summary: Winters in Central can be surprisingly cold.

**Body Heat**

Jean Havoc shivered and hugged his arms in order to keep warm. It was a really cold winter day, even though the sun was shining brightly, and Jean was growing very tired of waiting for Lieutenant Colonel Mustang to finish exchanging pleasantries with Major Hughes. Jean had been the one who had ended up stuck with the job of driving the Lieutenant Colonel to see his friend after his wife had given birth to his daughter the day before. The overly joyous Major had also invited Jean inside and the Lieutenant had soon grown tired of Hughes cooing to his baby daughter. Now it was finally the time to leave, if only the Major could stop hugging Mustang long enough so that the shorter male could escape his clutches.

When Hughes attempted to capture Mustang into a yet another bone-crushing hug the Lieutenant Colonel ducked out of the way and merrily bid the man his farewells. Then the black-haired man made his way to the car and surprised Jean by going around the car and sitting on the passenger side. Jean did not question the action, though, and merely got in to the driver's seat.

After starting the car Jean dared to glance at the man sitting next to him and lifted an eyebrow when Mustang removed his boots so that he could lift his feet on the seat as he wrapped his arms around his knees. It was obvious the man was cold and jean knew better than to say anything.

It was quiet during the time they drove back to the headquarters. Mustang was not one for idle chitchat and Jean did not think he could say anything without it having anything to do with Mustang's peculiar sitting position. Because of that Jean sat tensely and felt extremely awkward and so, when a weight suddenly settled on his shoulder, the Lieutenant almost jumped up from his seat in surprise.

Glancing briefly to his side he only saw the top of a head and a couple of black locks tickled his face uncomfortably. For some reason Mustang had decided that curling up against Jean was a good idea.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Lieutenant", Mustang muttered in a slightly aggravated tone and Jean's eyes immediately focused forward again. Mustang's body pressed against his side more firmly and Jean actually relaxed slightly when he noticed that he was not feeling so cold anymore.

The atmosphere was a lot more pleasant after that and the oddity of the situation disappeared as the comfort increased. When they were a couple of streets away from the headquarters Jean told Mustang this and the weight on his side disappeared as the Lieutenant Colonel worked to get his boots on again. The man did not seem to be feeling cold at all now even as Jean shivered slightly from the loss of a warm contact.

"I really hate winter", Mustang spoke suddenly and Jean shot a quick glance at the man. The dark eyes met his own as the shorter male added: "I grew up in the south and winters weren't quite this cold there." Mustang opened the door and climbed out of the car. "I would really prefer if I was positioned elsewhere."

Jean definitely knew what Lieutenant Hawkeye would have done in this situation and actually dared to speak: "Don't be such a baby, sir."

A surprised blink was the first reaction Jean got from Mustang. Then the man actually chuckled and said in an amused manner: "I was wondering where your backbone had gone, Second Lieutenant." Mustang chuckled again. "Just refer from speaking like that too often."

"Because only the First Lieutenant can get away with it, right?" Jean said and got out of the car himself. Mustang did not laugh this time but merely grumbled: "I think Lieutenant Hawkeye can get away with anything she wants."

"Definitely", Jean agreed wholeheartedly. "Let's go inside before she sees us through a window and realizes that we're simply standing idle here."

The two men did just that, since if Hawkeye came after them for being lazy, they would go from feeling cold to feeling well done.

_**Owari**_


End file.
